While mixed martial arts has only been organized and televised for the last 20 years or so, the sport's roots go back many hundreds of years. Fighters use skills from the world's most ancient of martial arts as well as new styles of fighting. This versatility is what makes MMA so excited to watch and to learn. For those with little knowledge about MMA, here are a few important facts.
First and foremost, don't confuse MMA with WWE. MMA is real, WWE is not. MMA fighters are actually competing against one another in real fights. If you want to watch a bunch of guys pretend to fight, head to a WWE event. If you want to see skilled athletes actually competing, then stick with mixed martial arts.
The mixed part of MMA is the idea that fighters can use a variety of different martial arts in order to win a bout. There is no one style required for MMA, but most fighters learn at least one of the following martial arts: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, boxing, and different types of wrestling. Having a full arsenal not only provides you with offensive skills, but important defensive skills that allow you to escape from chokes and holds. So while you might have one style you favor, it is wise to master some other skills as well. There is a reason why Anderson Silva is so effective in a fight; he is a black belt in four different forms of martial arts.
Some people confuse the terms MMA and UFC, believing that they are the same thing. The UFC is an MMA organization but there are plenty of other groups out there hosting great mixed martial arts fights. Bellator MMA, for example, hosts a series of prominent tournaments, as does King of the Cage and other smaller enteritis. Just about every large city in the country has MMA events during the year, so there is rarely a weekend that goes by when you can't find an MMA event to attend.
At one time in its history, Senator John McCain referred to MMA as "human cockfighting." In the early days, MMA was certainly more dangerous, but sanctioned fights are now under the guise of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which has plenty of rules in place to protect fighters. Since the rules were created, there have been three deaths occurring from injuries during a sanctioned MMA fight. Fatalities, however, are a sad reality of many sports, such as bicycle racing, skiing, NASCAR events, and even soccer has a deadlier record than MMA.
There are plenty of other facts you'll need to learn, but you can start by simply watching some fights and reading some blogs and forums about the sport. If you want to take a look at some of the top names in the sport today and in the past, look up names such as Carlos Gracie, Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Fedor Emelinenko, Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre just to name a few of the important figures in MMA.
First and foremost, don't confuse MMA with WWE. MMA is real, WWE is not. MMA fighters are actually competing against one another in real fights. If you want to watch a bunch of guys pretend to fight, head to a WWE event. If you want to see skilled athletes actually competing, then stick with mixed martial arts.
The mixed part of MMA is the idea that fighters can use a variety of different martial arts in order to win a bout. There is no one style required for MMA, but most fighters learn at least one of the following martial arts: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, boxing, and different types of wrestling. Having a full arsenal not only provides you with offensive skills, but important defensive skills that allow you to escape from chokes and holds. So while you might have one style you favor, it is wise to master some other skills as well. There is a reason why Anderson Silva is so effective in a fight; he is a black belt in four different forms of martial arts.
Some people confuse the terms MMA and UFC, believing that they are the same thing. The UFC is an MMA organization but there are plenty of other groups out there hosting great mixed martial arts fights. Bellator MMA, for example, hosts a series of prominent tournaments, as does King of the Cage and other smaller enteritis. Just about every large city in the country has MMA events during the year, so there is rarely a weekend that goes by when you can't find an MMA event to attend.
At one time in its history, Senator John McCain referred to MMA as "human cockfighting." In the early days, MMA was certainly more dangerous, but sanctioned fights are now under the guise of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which has plenty of rules in place to protect fighters. Since the rules were created, there have been three deaths occurring from injuries during a sanctioned MMA fight. Fatalities, however, are a sad reality of many sports, such as bicycle racing, skiing, NASCAR events, and even soccer has a deadlier record than MMA.
There are plenty of other facts you'll need to learn, but you can start by simply watching some fights and reading some blogs and forums about the sport. If you want to take a look at some of the top names in the sport today and in the past, look up names such as Carlos Gracie, Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Fedor Emelinenko, Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre just to name a few of the important figures in MMA.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes writing about mixed martial arts benefits. For more details about martial arts in San Diego or to find boxing instruction in San Diego, please check out The Arena MMA site today.
